Men, women, and children of all ages can suffer from urinary incontinence or involuntary loss of urinary control. Their lives are perpetually interrupted by thoughts of ensuring that they have ready access to a restroom. Everyday activities such as attending a theater or sporting event can become unpleasant. Sufferers often begin to avoid social situations in an effort to reduce the stress associated with their condition.
A variety of treatment options are currently available. Some of these include external devices, behavioral therapy (such as biofeedback, electrical stimulation, or Kegel exercises), prosthetic devices, and surgery. Depending on the age, medical condition, and personal preference of a patient, surgical procedures can be used to completely restore continence.
One type of surgical procedure found to be an especially successful treatment option for incontinence in both men and women, is a sling procedure. Sling procedures typically entail surgically implanting a biocompatible implant or “sling” to support the bladder neck or urethra. Sling procedures are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,112,344; 5,611,515; 5,842,478; 5,860,425; 5,899,909; 6,039,686; 6,442,534; 6,110,101; 6,478,727; 6,638,211; and PCT Publication Nos. WO 02/39890 and WO 02/069781.
Some “pubomedial” sling procedures involve an abdominal incision and installation of a sling between the rectus fascia in the abdominal region to a position below the urethra, and back again to the rectus fascia. A conventional procedure in females is to surgically place a sling by entering the abdominal cavity through an incision in the patient's pubovaginal region.
In males, one example of a conventional method involves surgical placement of a sling by entering the abdominal cavity through an abdominal incision. Unfortunately, to access the abdominal cavity a surgeon must incise the male patient's abdominal muscles. This procedure is more time consuming and uncomfortable for the male patient.
Other methods for treating pelvic conditions involve installation of a sling below the urethra through incisions made at the inner thigh (e.g., in the perineal skin facing the obturator and in the groin), and using a tissue path extending through the obturator. These procedures can be referred to as “transobturator” methods. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,911,003 and Published U.S. Pat. Appl. No. 2003/0171644A1, the entireties of each being incorporated herein by reference.
While abdominal and transobturator methods of treating urinary incontinence can be effective, safe, and long-lasting, there is ongoing effort toward improving these methods.